One of the trickiest parts of a low histamine diet is figuring out what food you can eat when you’re out and about, especially if you’re going to be out for most of the day. When I first started eating low histamine it was hard enough to find something to eat when I was in my kitchen with a fully-stocked fridge, a stove, an oven, and a microwave! It seemed impossible to go anywhere for any length of time because I didn’t know what food to bring so I could eat.

Well after 2 years of eating low histamine, I’ve almost got it down to an art. In the past year I’ve rarely eaten out, instead I just bring food for Rosie and I anywhere we go!

Today I’m going to share all my best tricks with you.

Keeping the food cold

One of the first things that needs to be addressed for low histamine pack lunches is keeping them fresh, which usually means keeping it cold. This lunch box cooler has been AMAZING! It holds quite a bit of food and it keeps it really cold for several hours. I’ve used it for all day outings multiple times and it does very well. I got mine for $10 at Costco, and it was a major score.

Any lunch box that is well insulated and fits an ice pack will work, you’ll just have to try it out and see how long it stays cool. The thing I like about this lunch box is that it has an ice pack in the top and the bottom and I think that’s what helps it keep the temperature down more effectively than other lunch boxes I’ve had. 

Prep ahead

As with most things low histamine & GF, snack foods require prep ahead of time. I try to rotate my prep days and keep my freezer stocked with muffins, pancakes, larabars, sauces, meats, and desserts.

For more information about prep days, check out this Batch Cooking post.

Food for the pack lunch

We don’t usually take all of these foods for one outing, but I wanted to give you as many ideas as possible!

I bring my lunch cooler for cold food and another lunch bag with food that doesn’t need to be cold.

Items with an * means they require prep ahead of time.

For Me:

• Potato Chips or tortilla chips (histamine level: 1 due to sunflower oil)
  • make sure your chips are GF and that they do not have soybean oil
• Beef Snack Sticks
  • These snack sticks are probably a histamine level 1, maybe even a 2. The ingredient list is all low histamine, except “natural flavors”, which is probably suspect. They do not have any added nitrates or nitrites. I decided to take a chance on them since they have to be refrigerated and then eaten within 5 days of opening, so they seem like they are less cured and preserved than other kinds of “jerky”.
  • I ate them and Rosie did fine with them through my breastmilk. This is a sometimes food for me though, I only eat it every once in a while. I usually save it for when I am traveling or hiking and need a good protein.
  • The beef sticks are really long so I cut them into thirds, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and froze them. When they were frozen I put all of them into a gallon size bag. Then I just grab one when I need it.

For Rosie:

• Rice cake-plain or spread with macadamia nut butter and stored in a container.
• Applesauce pouch
  • I consider this rated as a histamine level: 1 because it’s not fresh, but Rosie tolerates them really well. If you still want a pouch option but need a level: 0, consider buying these reusable pouches. You can even put them in the freezer! Then you could fill it up with homemade applesauce, pureed carrots, blueberries or peaches, pop it in the freezer, and grab one later when you’re headed out the door. Major bonus- they are dishwasher safe!

Rosie & I share:

• Petite carrots
• Apple slices (or grapes, blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, or peaches)
• Raw broccoli florets
• Pistachios or macadamia nuts
  • remember to chop the nuts into a small size or bring nut butter for kids younger than 3
• *Carrot cake “larabars”
• *Chex mix
  • our favorite is the sweet & salty version
• *Blueberry muffins (histamine level: 1 due to egg)
  • Or zucchini muffins, carrot apple muffins, vegan blueberry refined sugar free muffins
• *Boom Chicka Pop kettle corn or air-popped popcorn in a gallon size bag
  • Be careful with popcorn for toddlers, especially under 2, it could be very easy for them to choke on

Microwave or stove required

When I’m going to be out for most of the day, it’s usually because I’m headed to one of my relatives or friend’s houses. I pack different food then because I know I’ll have access to a fridge/freezer, a microwave, and a stove. On those occasions I pack food like this in addition to the snacks above:

For Me:

• *Meatball Salad
  • container with Chopped lettuce, matchstick carrots, sliced cucumbers & peppers
  • small container with extra light tasting olive oil, italian seasoning, & garlic powder
  • sandwich bag with 3-4 frozen meatballs
  • sandwich bag with tortilla or potato chips
• Meatballs with veggies
  • 3-4 frozen meatballs
  • petite carrots & raw broccoli
  • potato chips on the side
• Any leftovers from the night before (I can do leftovers that are less than 20 hrs old)

For Rosie:

These are the foods that have worked the best for Rosie when we’re at another house for the day-

• Cream of Rice cereal
  • 1/8 cup in a container
  • container of sliced peaches
  • add 1/2 cup water when preparing it
• *Frozen pancake (histamine level: 1 due to egg)
• *Frozen french fries

That’s what I’ve got for you for now, I’ll add more later if I think of anything.

Happy Adventuring!

I know you’ll get the hang of bringing a pack lunch of low histamine food. It gets easier with practice. Good luck and go eat some yummy food! 🙂